Vice President Mike Pence got the internet’s attention Thursday after he was photographed touching a piece of critical space flight hardware clearly marked with a “do not touch” sign during a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

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Pence was with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabena when they spotted the hardware in the Orion spacecraft clean room. Pence is leading a newly revived National Space Council, according to The Associated Press.

The original photo was shot by Reuters photographer Mike Brown, according to Gizmodo. It inspired a flurry of memes from dumbfounded internet users.

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Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC